The closing argument from the Yes on 2 campaign last year arguing for a new 3% tax on income over $200,000 to fund K-12 education wasn’t an ad featuring crumbling Maine schools (although there are plenty) or discussing the societal benefits of investment in education (which are many). No, it was this commercial, featuring a […]

Today, May 2nd, isn’t just notable as the birthday of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (45). It’s also the expiration day for the cut-taxes-and-welfare Frankenstein initiative proposed by Governor Paul LePage and the Maine Republican Party back in 2015. With time now having officially run out to gather signatures to place the measure on the ballot, […]

At a town hall that he held in Fort Kent last night to promote his plan to give a massive new tax break to Maine’s wealthiest 2%, Gov. LePage repeatedly and condescendingly made false claims about how taxes work in Maine. LePage apparently doesn’t understand that the 3% surcharge put in place with the passage […]

At a press conference yesterday, President Donald Trump declared that his plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act “gets better and better and better, and it has gotten really, really good,” saying he expects a vote on the legislation next week. The details of the modified plan are still a mystery, but it seems to […]

Senator Angus King announced his decision to vote against the confirmation of President Trump’ Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch last night, and his whole statement is worth a read, not just for his detailed explanation of his decision based on the judge’s legal record and hearing testimony, but for his more personal remarks on how […]

As the legislature considers potential new restrictions on Mainers’ ability to influence laws through direct democracy, it’s important to recognize that our state already has one of the most restrictive referendum systems in the country. It is far more difficult to gather signatures to place an initiated measure on the ballot in Maine than almost […]

The lengths to which Maine Second-District Representative Bruce Poliquin will go to avoid taking a stand on an issue have become a running joke. He usually scrupulously avoids taking public positions to the extent that the BDN could have basically just re-run this cartoon of him hiding under his desk or this one of him […]

A group of about fifty protestors stood outside the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building on Saturday, the home of Maine Senator Susan Collins’ Bangor office, in order to call for the protection of the Affordable Care Act. The size of the crowd isn’t particularly notable, given the frequency and fervency of of rallies in Maine […]

Members of Mainers for Accountable Leadership, a grassroots organization that grew out of the Indivisible movement following the election of Donald Trump as president, are meeting with Maine Senator Susan Collins right now, and are broadcasting it live on Facebook. The group has been calling for opposition to some of Trump’s most regressive nominees and […]

In a light-hearted note attached to a selfie he posted on Facebook Wednesday night, Maine Senator Angus King recounted getting stuck in a crowded Capitol Hill elevator when leaving the Senate floor. In the post, independent King notes that “of course, one of the passengers was a reporter” and also jokingly blames “the Russians” for […]

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Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.